PREFACE. THE REV. DR. DANIEL WILLIAMS was an eminent Protestant dissenting minister of the Presbyterian denomination, in the latter part of the seventeenth, and the beginning of the eighteenth, century; he was born at Wrexham, in Denbighshire, in 1644, and died in London in 1716, bequeathing nearly the whole of his ample fortune to public and charitable objects. For some time previous to his decease, he had formed the design of founding in the Metropolis a Public Library, to be placed under the management and control of a succession of Trustees, and to be accessible to such persons as they, in their discretion, should admit to the privilege. Dr. Williams's private collection of books, which he destined to this object, was very numerous and of great value; but before his death, he had added to it, by purchase, the entire library of Dr. William Bates, which was known to contain a large number of rare and curious works, Dr. Bates being esteemed one of the most learned and accomplished bibliographers of his time. Owing to some technical difficulties in the establishment of the trusts of Dr. Williams's will, his Trustees were not able to complete the arrangements for the opening of the Public Library before the year 1729, about thirteen years after the Testator's death. They had obtained from the Court of Chancery, in the suit under which the affairs of the Trust have always been admi nistered, an order to lay out a certain sum of money in the purchase of ground and the erection of a house in Red Cross Street, for the reception of the books; but this sum having been wholly expended before the building had advanced near its completion, the Trustees, who were unwilling to apply to the Court for an addition to the original grant, raised the funds that were wanted for finishing the house and furnishing the principal apartments, by handsome contributions from themselves, and liberal donations from opulent friends who were favourable to the design. Whilst these arrangements were in progress, the books were, conformably to Dr. Williams's directions, carefully examined, the "duplicates and useless books" removed, and a Catalogue prepared of those selected for preservation, which was printed in the year 1727. The object of the Trustees in publishing the Catalogue so long before the Library was ready for use, is stated to have been " to induce other munificent and public-spirited persons, and lovers of literature, to contribute to its augmentation." In this expectation they were not disappointed; many donations, some of them of great value, were received for the increase of the Library; but the largest accession was derived from Dr. William Harris, the personal friend of Dr. Williams, who bequeathed for this purpose the whole of his own library. At many subsequent periods, liberal contributions have been made to it, both by Trustees, and by other friends of the Institution not connected with its management*. Dr. Williams having, in the disposal of his property, made no provision for the augmentation of the Library, orders were obtained by the Trustees from the Court of Chancery, in the years 1805 and 1830, authorizing the application of certain * It has been usual with the Lay Trustees, on their appointment, to present to the Library the sum of ten guineas, or some book or books equivalent to that sum. |